1889 N172 Old Judge Amos Rusie

Graded EX 60 by SGC. 1889 N172 Old Judge of Hall of Famer Amos Rusie (rookie card) with the Indianapolis Hoosiers in a throwing pose (#395-4). Rusie is among the rarest of all Old Judge Hall of Famers. In fact, Rusie is listed as the third rarest out of all twenty-seven Hall of Famers appearing in the set by the recently published The Photographic Baseball Cards of Goodwin & Company (1886-1890), the definitive book on Old Judges by Jay Miller, Joe Gonsowski, and Richard Masson. This is an outstanding example with particularly exceptional photo quality of one of the most important cards of the N172 set. Amos Rusie, also known as the "Indianapolis Thunderbolt," personified power pitching in the 1890s. He was the principal reason the pitcher's mound was moved back from 50 feet to the present 60 feet 6 inches in 1893. This is a magnificent card dating from the rookie year of Amos Rusie, one of the nineteenth century's greatest stars. Bright and clean, with superb photo quality and contrast, no creases, well centered, and just a hint of corner wear. The reverse is perfectly clean. Copyright dated 1889. This card is a very strong example of one of the key Hall of Famer cards in the N172 Old Judge series. From the Joe Pelaez Collection. Reserve $1,000. Estimate $2,000/$3,000+. SOLD FOR $7,703

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